


Eridan A,              Alive Again

by JenSnow



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Currently incomplete, Eridan rebuilds his life, Hope, I love to hurt my Eribaby, Post Game, Regret, chapters edited and posted sporadically, not done yet, tags will be added as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-02-16 10:49:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13052472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenSnow/pseuds/JenSnow
Summary: EDIT 12/25/2018Hi! I know it’s been nearly a year, but I don’t plan on giving up on it! You may have noticed that I have sporadically gone and made some minor changes to the chapters every so often, but I haven’t added any new ones. In order to prevent confusion, I’ve decided to write the first four chapters up to my standards before posting it. Chapter one will probably only have a few minor changes, but chapter two will undergo some drastic changes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! This is my first shot at attempting fanfic for a while, so I’m sorry if it’s not up to par.
> 
> Feedback would be greatly appreciated. There will be ships, I promise. I just want to get those parts written before I make any promises (I’m so indecisive I might actually change the relationship the chapter before everything goes down.....)
> 
> Well, you guys aren’t here to read me rambling. 
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!

Eridan slowly blinked his eyes, feeling as if heavy weights were holding them shut. He struggled to think and found that even his brain felt as if it were working against a heavy force as he attempted to gain his bearings. He was lying on the ground and from the texture beneath his fingers, he could assume he was lying on grass. He finally managed to open his eyes fully and tried to blink the tired feeling from his eyes. As the world slowly came into focus shapes and colors began to appear. He pushed himself up and realized, as he looked around, that the world was still fuzzy. He groaned, sorely, stiff as though he had been lying down for hours, and reached around for his glasses, feeling them on the ground where they must have fallen off his face when he was unconscious. He slipped them on and everything became clear, even the haze around his mind lifted as he took in the sight before him.

Above him, the sky shone a bright blue. The grass beneath him was soft, about three inches long, and a vivid green which made all other greens he had seen before seem almost dull. To his left, he could see a tall, grey building further up the incline. There were pillars which, like the building, supported a number of arches, frog statues, and large carvings of vaguely familiar symbols. To his right, he could see rolling hills which seemed to stretch forever and join with the sky. As he further inspected the large, rather flat hilltop he was on, he noticed small lumps lying scattered along the ground. He heard a noise behind him. He turned around, his eyes locking with another’s through messy hair. “ED?”

He panicked. Turning on his side, he began to scramble to stand. Once he managed to get his feet beneath his shaking legs, he began to run. He sprinted down the hill he was on, stumbling over his own legs in an attempt to distance himself from those red and blue eyes. Eyes he hadn’t really expected to see again after seeing through them. 

He pressed on. He couldn’t face them. He remembered the other figures lying on the ground, understanding of what they must have been rushing through him like ice in his veins. A messy haired troll curled in on himself, his usually angry face softened by sleep. A troll with pale skin and neat hair, sleeping with her hands on her stomach, as calm and collected in sleep as she is awake. Perfection incarnate, his fated, the object of his affections for most of his life, sleeping undisturbed, a mass of dark hair surrounding her as she slept peacefully in the lush green grass, fanned out around her as if she were under the waves she loved. Appearing to belong perfectly, wherever she was. Everywhere besides next to him, of course.

“No.” He gasped in a whispering breath as he ran, his burning lungs not allowing any more sound than that to escape him as he ran. Over and over again, the same thoughts echoed across his mind. ‘No. No. No. No. No. Fuck. No, no, no.’ He pressed faster on, surpassing what he had thought was his limit. His breathing was ragged, tearing, but he pushed himself further, faster. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t slow down. He couldn’t let his past catch up. He could see a faint tree line ahead of him. 

“No,no,no,no,no.” The quiet chant, his mantra, echoed before him, around him, inside of him. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. He was shaking as he ran, the quiet croaking stream of ‘no’ falling from his lips as he fled. He couldn’t face them. Not after what they did. Not after what he did.

The color green was all stretched out endlessly to his left and right. To his left, his shadow ran beside him, desperately looking ahead. He refused to think of the people he had left behind. He failed. ‘No’ he thought, shaking his head stubbornly and closing his eyes, running blindly. “No.” His mind echoed with the word, panicked flashes of what had happened propelling him further when the thought of slowing down to ease the burning pain in his sides and lungs dared enter his mind. The images rushed past his inner eye, snippets of that fateful day flashing through, freely, uninhibited by another mind’s presence.

A land filled with angels.

Inescapable whispering. 

An undefeatable alien. 

Harsh words. 

Pleading. 

Rejection. 

Humiliation. 

Anger. 

Violet edged vision. 

 

White. 

 

Yellow. 

 

White. 

 

Fuchsia. 

 

An egg. 

 

White. 

Anger.

 

White. 

 

Jade. 

 

Snap. 

Lipstick.  
Blades.  
Pain. 

 

White.

 

 

Suddenly, it all disappeared. For a moment he was weightless, then he was brought crashing back into the present as an electric shock shook him to his very core, washing over his head as he felt himself falling and landing in an almost forgotten substance. He let out a surprised choke, forgetting his gills. The water rushed past, filling his lungs with liquid instead of air. He struggled for a moment before he felt his foot touch smooth rock. Pushing up, his head breached the surface. He coughed, expelling water harshly from his lungs, flailing for a moment while he attempted to regain a sense of balance and catch his breath, chocking violently, before memory took over and he began to keep himself above water with even strokes. After a few moments of being carried downstream, he turned on his back and let the current carry him further as he became increasingly aware of how exhausted his limbs truly were. Slowly, he forced himself to move again. He shifted his arms and legs as angled himself to the nearest bank. Taking a few shuddering breaths, he willed his tired limbs to do his bidding before a few strong strokes carried him safely to shore.

He crawled onto the muddy ground, shivering and coughing lightly as he tried to force the last few drops of water from his lungs. He lay on his back, closing his eyes, covering his face with an arm and simply breathing for a moment. The digging pressure of his glasses were missing. When he next moved, it was to move his arm from his eyes. With the barrier removed, he could tell it was bright, even through his eyelids. He frowned in confusion, furrowing his brow and raising a hand in front of him to block the light while he slowly opened his eyes.

Squinting, he carefully peered beyond his hand. He could see a bright, vibrant blue sky with wispy white clouds lazily drifting past him. He blinked, adjusting, before moving his hand entirely. He heard birds chiming away to each other somewhere out of his limited sight.

Groaning, he slowly rolled to his side, feeling the mud beneath him squelch and plaster thickly on him. He could only imaging how he looked. Disgraceful. Levering himself and crouching, he made his way on to unsteady legs.

He finally got a good look at the land around him, now that he was higher than the tall grass. Behind him was a river, maybe twenty meters across. He could see down to the bottom, but already knew that the water was deeper than appeared. On one side, the side he could assume he ran off while trapped in his thoughts, there was a bank that was roughly a meter high, slightly overhanging above the river. Looking up the river, he could almost imagine he saw a spot where a section of overhanging dirt looked like it had crumbled, causing his fall.

At first it seemed he was surrounded by the same meadow as when he woke up, bright green and cheerful. However, as he turned, it was made apparent that he was no longer near the site as he saw the smudge which had been on the horizon as a clear tree line, only around half a mile away with the outline of tall mountains not far behind it.

He groaned a little, thinking of the mad frenzy he must have been in to run this distance. When he fled, he hadn’t bothered to check the time, but the sun was high in the sky and he could assume it was near the middle of the day.

He thought for a moment about how he was lucky that the sun was not dangerous to him in this strange place.

The light, airy notes of birdsong brought him out of his thoughts once again. A flock of small white birds came flying out of the trees, gliding gracefully on to the lush green lawn before settling. He sneered, more to himself, at the thought that the birds had not seen him or cared that he, a potentially deadly threat, could see them. He took a step, almost with the intent of threatening them, to remind them that he was here. He felt his body ache, bone deep. With a sigh, Eridan cast a final glance at the birds and began to move towards the woods.

He marched determinedly, now with a destination in mind. While he was wet and muddy, he had no intention to stand idly, unprotected in the open while he dried. He had contemplated returning, for a brief moment, standing there wet and filthy, to the place where he had awoken, but had quickly ended that train of thought. He couldn’t face them, not yet. Besides, he couldn’t find that place again if he wanted to. Not even the tall grey ruins stood out among the sea of blurred hilltops on the horizon.

Eridan scowled at his luck, lightly biting down onto his lower lip. Of course he would end up like this. Not even twenty-four fuckin hours into his new life and he had already destroyed it. He scoffed as he walked. No surprise there.

He looked into the cool shadows that the trees cast as he neared his destination, contemplating the dangers of walking into a forest where unknown, hostile creatures might be lurking. He glanced to the open meadow with the white birds. Although he had no weapon besides his teeth and nails, he reasoned the forest offered more concealment from predators than the plains as well as shelter from the elements.

Unhelpfully, his brain supplied him with a reply of ‘Hopefully’ as remembered images of the large predators that lurked in the Alternian forests crossed his mind. He shook his head at the thought. Hope was a load of bull, a fake, useless power that only lead to destruction of self and others. He should know.

Eridan walked slowly through the forest, the lush green undergrowth brushing his legs. As he continued, he noticed how the light reflected off the leaves and how the melody of different bird calls created an almost rhythmic tune. He almost felt as if, if he were to stop and listen for a moment, he would be able to find the pattern in the song and join in if he wished. As time went on, the scowling anger, brought on by the feel of filth, chafing, and disappointment in his inability to get anything right; slowly faded until all that was left was tiredness and the dull ache of his tired muscles. Finally, he gave in and sat down on a log, resting his burning legs and fighting the urge to cry.

A shuddering sigh escaped him as he set his elbows upon his knees and rested his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and thought. He thought of how spectacularly he had failed. Failed as a high blood, failed as a troll, failed as a morirail, failed as a friend. Sure, the others were to blame, he didn’t feel as if he had expected a lot, just some attention and someone to take him seriously for once in his life. Well, for once in his life when they weren’t against him. 

He shuddered again, the half dried mud plastered to him suddenly feeling cooler. Memories of jade and white. Kanaya had taken him seriously, once. Had genuinely fought him with all her power and spirit. She hadn’t beat around the bush or shown any reluctant mercy.

He was shaking lightly now, from the cold and from something he refused to acknowledge as he felt a fresh chill on his cheeks. He pulled his hands from his face, ignoring the dried mud, now slightly damp with the something he refused to acknowledge on them and rubbed his eyes with his scarf.

He could hear bird song clearly now as he took a deep breath. The dappled forest rang with the sound. He opened his eyes again to the world around him. Dust motes lazily floated to the ground in the slowly fading light. The dark gold illuminated the forest around him. It almost seemed as if time had been stopped in an old photograph. For a moment, he only sat there, breathing in the green air and relishing how, for a second, he could almost forget what troubled him.

He stood with difficulty, closed his eyes, and took another, grounding breath. He felt it as his lungs expanded, so full it burned slightly as they stretched. He exhaled, feeling as if it was more than just air that left him, then opened his eyes. The green scent of the forest, the weight of his drying cape on his back, the burn of exhaustion in his tired limbs; they were, somehow, liberating. Even though he had lost his glasses, he had the sense that he could see the slightly blurred picture before him clearer than he had ever seen the world before with his glasses.

Here, once he stopped expecting himself to succeed, brilliantly and above others, there were no expectations. He was free. If only for a moment, he was not Eridan Ampora, descendant of the great and terrifying Dualscar, jr. Orphaner to his beloved morirail, a violet blood, troll royalty, prince of hope, or friend to any troll who would or wouldn’t be culled on sight. He was just Eridan Ampora, alive.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, frozen in that single, blissful moment. It could have lasted days or seconds. All he knew for sure, was that this may have been the most peaceful moment in his life that he could remember.

When the moment passed and he once again remembered where he was, he began to walk again, this time with a purpose. He marched determinedly, his footing sure and quick despite the lingering soreness from his earlier sprinting. He was going to leave everything behind him, he had to. He would free himself. He wouldn’t be a slave to the past. He shook his head as he carefully, yet quickly, made his way through the woods. He wasn’t running away, he reasoned with himself.... just strategically retreating. Yeah, that’s what he’d call it. Sometimes, to win, you had to cut your losses and regroup. He couldn’t afford to loose. To linger, loose, and die again. He would survive.

He spent a few more hours going on like this, carefully placing his feet on bark, grass, or stones in ways that allowed him to leave little to no trace of his presence. He hadn’t had to track or travel on foot for a while as he preferred to hunt astride his noble lusus, but his muscles could still remember how he trained himself using scouting lore from many of his ancient books on battle. He wasn’t perfect, sure, but Eridan was confident that, without a trained eye, many of the tricks he used would be enough to confuse inexperienced trackers. He hoped it would be enough.

He scowled at the idea. Hope. No, he decided; he was confident that there was a chance that Nepeta, an excellent huntress wouldn’t be called to search for him or be able to find him; that Vriska, an experienced FLARPer wouldn’t be able to track him down. He simply knew of the scientific probability that the possibility that he might not be found existed. It wasn’t hope, he refused to hope or have anything to do with the useless, unscientific trust in anything. He simply trusted in the small, teeny tiny, SCIENTIFIC probability that he MIGHT not be found and dragged back to confront the past.

The shadows grew longer and larger as the sun began to dim, leaving him in growing darkness. When Eridan came upon the steep incline of the mountains, he stopped, noting the lack of bird song in the air. He squinted, straining his eyes to see in the poor lighting without his glasses and frowned to himself, noting the distinct chill that was setting in. 

When he saw the beginnings of a valley, the earth rising on two sides, gradually sloping upwards to meet with the large mountains, he quickly made his way through the foliage to the possible shelter. Without the sun, his slightly damp, muddied clothes felt like ice on his skin when the wind blew. He shivered, then felt a wave of weakness wrack his abused body. He pushed onwards, biting his lip and screwing his face into a determined face through the pain. He told himself that it was bearable. That anything was bearable so long as it meant he would be further away form his past. From them. As he continued, angling slightly upwards, the trees began to thin until he was left with only bushes and tufts of grass. 

When he was surrounded on either side by tall banks made of dirt and rock; a particularly cold gust of wind ghosted over him from behind and he felt himself sway in the breeze, his tired limbs finally giving into the harsh strain. He put a hand on the steep slope to his right, gently resting it on the sparsely covered ground and leaning his side into the ground, beyond caring for his attire. He looked up from his shivering to find something that made him feel something similar to hope.

Up ahead, there was a bend in the path where it diverged into two more. Ignoring the one that lead off to his left, he continued straight, towards the other which narrowed and lead to a large, gnarled tree with branches so long and dripping they brushed the ground. It stood tall, ancient against the steep wall of the valley which was not four meters away from it.

Every step was torture. With each step, his tired limbs cried out as he neared the possible sanctuary from the cold and fatigue. Once he reached the ancient willow, panting and exhausted from the effort of moving his leaden limbs the last steps of his journey; Eridan slowly moved the branches aside and stepped into the fairly large, green space.

In front of him was the tree which was large, about three Eridans would easily be able to stand next to each other and hide behind it. To his right was a rocky wall that was covered in moss from the old tree’s shade. Looking up, Eridan blanched slightly at the thought of climbing the distance needed to reach even the first branch, feeling his weary muscles cry in anguish and threaten to give out. He took a few steps towards the tree, his cape hanging off his back and feeling as though it weighed a thousand pounds. He could hardly bring himself to unclasp it from his back, his arms trembling. His entire body felt as though it was as heavy as lead and as brittle as an autumn leaf. He stumbled on his next step, exhaustion overpowering his willpower as his knees hit the ground and his arms gave out under him. It was now truly night and he could only make out vague shapes. He reached behind him, latching onto the soiled cape. He remembered the first cape he had ever worn, given to him by his lusus on his second wriggling day. He had been so stupid, so naïve. He dragged himself the rest of the way to the tree, curling into one of the tree’s massive roots and facing the wall of rock and dirt. His face scrunched up and he could feel a hot trail burning down his face as he burrowed into the filthy cape and failed to sneer. He remember how stupid and hopeful and dumb and believing he was. And for a second, as Eridan closed his tired eyed, feeling the tears and weakness overcome him, he wished he had never discovered that magic wasn’t real.


	2. The Heir, Awake At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A windy boy appears! Good morning sunshine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter. There’s no Eri boy in this one, but he’ll be back in the next!

John woke with a groan. The first thing he noticed was the ache. It felt as though he had been lying still on a hard surface for hours; like the time when he had fallen asleep under the kitchen table when the air conditioning went out. In the fuzzy post-sleep-like haze; he could almost feel himself slip back in time, back to when things were significantly less complicated.

It was during the summer before fourth grade began. He had been entertaining himself by pretending to be on a special mission. Like his idol Nick Cage, he was the only one who could save the day, beat the baddies, and rescue the innocent women and children. He was sneaking around, preparing to jump the villains in a heroic and manly manner from where he hid in the shadows. Unfortunately; the temptation to relax was too great, the shade that the table offered and the cool tile flooring felt amazing in the heat. John fell asleep on his stomach where he had been army crawling, his glasses on and his weapon of choice- a broom from the pantry, clutched in his hand. He had woken up to his father’s face. The uniformed man’s expression of mild worry slowly fading into an amused smile, his eyes crinkling at the edges, when John raised himself up, peeling his face from the floor, and the man saw the red imprints made by the pattern on their kitchen floor and the boy’s own glasses which now sat on the small face crookedly. They ended up spending the rest of the day binge watching Nick Cage movies and then re-enacting John’s favorite parts. 

John detangled him from the memory with a sigh as the now bittersweet scene slipped away and pushed himself up to a sitting position with one hand, feeling dirt and grass fall off the side of his face as he adjusted his crooked glasses. The world around him was incredibly bright, the colors vibrant an unpolluted. It was gorgeous. He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, John! You finally woke up! You were passed out for so long that I was worried that I might have to con our resident prince, Dirk, into waking you up with one of his royal kisses, not that he’d have any reason to be opposed; I mean, you aren’t gross or repulsive or anything, just kinda nerdy looking and lanky and actually, it probably wouldn’t take too much convincing. It’d be like in one of those cliched kids movies from Earth where the- Well, I guess not exactly like one since-“

“Dave?” John interrupted the blonde boy’s ramblings as he turned to get a better look at him. His head was spinning and pounding lightly from what felt like too much sleep. “What are you even talking about? Where are we?”

“Umm, about that”

“HEY BULGEMULCHER”

A face popped out from behind Dave, the eyebrows scrunched with worry and a concerned frown on his lips. “IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU GET UP YOU FESTERING SACK OF NUTBEAST WASTE. IF Y-” The troll stopped when he saw the boy on the ground flinch and knelt on the ground next to him. “Hey, are you alright? I swear, if you’ve decided to die on me now that all the game bullshit is done, I’ll personally hunt you down from whatever place you go to and kill you again. I-“

“Karkat; I believe that, if given enough time to speak, John will be able to inform us of his physical health himself.” A new voice interrupts the troll before he can fully escalate into a full-blown rant. Her purple eyes turned to John. “Although,” she continued, a slight frown worrying her lips as she addressed the lying teen “You do look a bit pale. Are you feeling well?”

John smiled and blinked away the last of the haze away once the words registered before looking between the three concerned faces. Ignoring the slight headache, he replied with as much cheer as possible. “Yep! I just overslept a bit.” Rose eyed him skeptically “Really, I’m fine.” He looked around again, pushing himself to his feet. There was a cluster of people probably around eighty meters away from him, gathered in front of some strange ruins, on and around a stone platform. The tall, complex monument was located to his left, up a slight incline, the dark grey walls contrasting greatly with the bright green and blue of the large, fairly flat, hill. His attention was brought again to the group gathered in front of the large black doors, some; the closest to the center, seemed to be in a serious debate. He looked to Rose for an explanation. 

“They’re having a meeting to decide what should be done now that the game has ended. It seems as though we’ve been transported to some sort of end-game world.” She glanced at the group, a small frown ghosting over her lips. “Right now, they’re trying to decide on who should assist with what. I will be working with Kanaya and a few others to alchemize some resources we will be needing if you would like to join us.”

“Uhh...” John trailed, remembering his own experimentations.

Rose smirked. “Of course, perhaps your skills might be more useful in another area.” The large group’s noise level raised considerably and Karkat‘s eyes scanned the group for a few seconds before he sighed, seeming to have found the main source of the commotion. 

The troll took a step forwards before turning his head to John, almost seeming conflicted. “I should head over there, make sure those asinine hoof lickers don’t kill each other and all.” Concern filtered across his face. “Uh.. Don’t die or anything before we straighten everything out, Jegus knows you would.” Another shout could be heard from the group and Karkat began to hurry over to the group, an iconic scowl taking over his features. Dave lingered close behind, not quite following the troll.

“Um.. uh..” he glanced to the group which was rapidly becoming rowdier. He shrugged and gestured nervously “I should probably, um...”

John nodded, a large, supporting, slightly to big to be real smile spreading his face. “Go on, I’ll be right behind you.” Dave nodded and sighed in relief.

“We will totally hang later bro, once we get this mad crowd situated.” The blonde rushed, before turning to follow his fellow knight.

Rose sighed, watching as Dave took his place near the short troll who had already inserted himself into the fray. “Since we arrived, everything has been... a little volatile.” She looked to the group with a sigh. With the addition of Karkat, the volume has risen what seemed an entire five levels.

“WHAT DO YOUR UNDERDEVELOPED THINKPANS NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT ‘WE SHOULD PROBABLY PUT SOME EFFORT INTO LOCATING THE GENOCIDAL CAPE DUCHE WHO HAS ACTUALLY KILLED MULTIPLE PEOPLE HERE BEFORE, SINCE IT LOOKS LIKE HE UP AND VANISHED WHILE NONE OF US WERE LOOKING!’?” John could see the short, nubby-horned troll gesturing frantically, a slight red tint visible across his cheeks.

“Calm your pan, nubs.” A silky smooth voice said condescendingly. “You know as well as I do that that coward wouldn’t dare try anything.” The tall, cerulean blooded troll raised her head from where she was looking down on the shorter troll and swung it lackadaisically over her shoulder towards those behind her. “Besides, even if he did,” she let out an almost pitying chuckle. “It isn’t like he could do anything.” Many of the crowd around her nodded and murmured consent, a few cracked smiles and let out their own short, cruel sounds of amusement.

Karkat’s fists curled in anger as he bit his lip. His eyes closed and with what seemed like an unprecedented amount of control for the troll, a long, heavy breath left him. “Vriska.” He said levelly, as if the word was all that was needed. 

The cerulean blood’s smile went from one to victory to one of insubordinating malice as she took in the shorter troll. “Yes, oh all knowing leader? Do you have another all knowing plan brewing in your magnificently horned thinkpan of yours? Are you about to enlighten me on how to take care of a problem that we already know how to solve?” She sneered, her voice becoming lower and thick with distain. “That simpering failure of a highblood couldn’t hurt any one of us any more than a splinter. Without his weapon, he’s even more useless than he usually is.” She paused when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. At the weary look she received, she began to turn away from the troll in front of her. “We don’t have time for him anyways. If he hasn’t come crawling back by the time he’s hungry, we’ll just send Nepeta or Meulin or whoever doesn’t have anything better to do after him.” With that, she took off, purposeful steps carrying her out of the crowd of people, a hand that a certain teal blood had weaved with her own leading her into the temple.

The group was silent for a moment, all eyes on the troll in the center, clenching and unclenching his hands as he ground his teeth. He snapped at the nearest troll, a troll with fins and long braids who looked on the troll with a smug expression. “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR THEN?! DON’T YOU HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO?”

The short troll stood there for a second, glaring, challenging the others to say something, anything. Eventually, the taller troll scoffed. “Shore, whatever floats your boat.” She smirked, flashing her razor sharp teeth, and turned around, her braids bobbing and swaying behind her as she went.

The rest of the rather large group slowly dispersed after that, most following the braided troll, others walking a ways off and forming into groups. A few of them stealing furtive glances that were even shorter than the troll receiving them. Dave rested a hand on the still fuming troll’s shoulder and Karkat visibly deflated. His claws unfurled from the palm of his hand, most likely leaving small indents, expressions of controlled anger that couldn’t break his skin. The two’s eyes connected, they grey seeking the paradoxically comforting effects of the unsettling red behind the shades. The human whispered something unheard by John and the troll nodded, both turning to leave the stone platform.

Rose raised an elegant eyebrow questioningly at the two once they joined their small group. Dave gave a sort of half smile and a light laugh. “Uhh, well, you see...” the blonde glanced at Karkat. “That one troll, the genocidal fishy one who is from Karkat’s version of Alternia... yeah, he uhhh, well, sorta kinda went missing a while back. Straight up disappeared over the horizon, like some sort of western cowboy, riding into the sunse- Well actually, it was sunrise... and I guess he was on foot and running away instead of going to some sort of victory party. Although, who knows what he does in his free time? I guess we weren’t around him too often, but from his record, I could probably guess he wasn-“ Dave stopped short, cutting himself off. He put a hand on his neck and cleared his throat. Anyhow, Sollux, the nerd with the 3D glasses, he saw the guy take off.”

Rose nodded. “Would I be correct in assuming that we are not going to be searching for him immediately?”

John glanced at her quickly from the corner of his eye before looking back to the pair across from him, shifting a little where he stood. Karkat scoffed and shook his head. “No fuck. The stupid fucknuts think he won’t be a problem if we leave him alone for a day. Gog knows they’re wrong, but I have more important things to do that try to reason with the lumps of rocks they call their pans.” 

Rose nodded again, a diplomatic look on her face. “It was to be expected. After all, none of the present are overly fond of the missing sea troll, are they?” She said in a knowing tone that was only tinged with question.

Karkat scowled. “Well no, of course not. Not after that shit he pulled in the game.”

Another nod from Rose. “Of course.” She turned to John. “Shall we then? It seems as though there is a great amount of work to be done.”

John nodded enthusiastically, eager to leave the tense conversation behind. “Right behind you!” He said, relaxing his tensed muscles and slipping on a smile. “Lead the way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I apologize for the lack of updates. I’ve been really busy these last months and haven’t had much time to spare. 
> 
> I’ll try to have the next chapter up before June.
> 
> Again, comments, criticism, and feedback are valued! Let me know if anything seems OOC or confusing!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Once again, please leave a comment below! I’d love to get some feedback on grammar, writing style, tone, format, or anything else!
> 
>  *edit:  
> Sorry for the delay, work has been pretty hectic and I haven’t had much time to work on chapter two for a while. I should have it posted around the twentieth of January at the latest.
> 
> Edit: Allrighty, I’ve updated it. I added a few more details and separated the paragraphs with a space. Let me know if there’s anything else I should change!
> 
> I hope to have the next chapter out either before the end of December or within the first week of January.  
>  
> 
> **Edit:  
> Ok, look. Listen. I know I’m a dirty dirty liar. I’m sorry. I didn’t get chapter two done. I might have gotten sick. A couple of times. Sick people shouldn't write. I make little enough sense when I’m functioning at 100% thank you very much.
> 
> Anywhooo. I don’t have chapter two done yet, but I do have a nice start on it. I’ve also decided on a couple of future relationships, buuuut I won’t tag them until they start to show up.
> 
> I’m actually glad I didn’t finish chapter two yet. I went back and fixed up the first chapter. I added some more details and solidified some stuff that was bugging me. ((((I also might have added 20% more angst))))
> 
>  
> 
> See ya  
> -JenSnow


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